Learn&Fly: engaging students in STEM via aeronautics

Abstract

Learn&Fly is an Erasmus+ project aimed to demystify and to crack STEM subjects to youngsters by showing their importance and application in aeronautics. Concepts in physics and maths are explained by engagement in the construction of an aircraft, aimed to compete in a flight contest. Students must envisage, design, draw and calculate the craft, simulate its flight, make necessary design adjustments, and build it. In its first year the project attracted 121 students, between 17-21 years old; 19.5% were girls. Students work on the glider was accompanied by lectures in physics, materials, and technologies. A questionnaire was used to quantify students’ perception on project usefulness. Results show that students considered the project to be effective in improving STEM skills and career awareness, and very effective in improving soft skills. This is expected to result from the stimulating, hands-on STEM learning environment that provided access to contents, tools, and activities not usually available to high school students from the partaking countries.